Happy Halloween 2026

On Halloween, here at A Shroud of Thoughts, we only offer you treats and no tricks. As to the treats, they are vintage pinups. Without further ado, here are this year's "treats."

First up is Jane Harker, who looks ready for a Halloween party.

/Next is Jeanne Crain, who is posing with a rather large pumpkin. 

And here's Dusty Anderson dressed up as a cat.

And here Audrey Totter is doing some pumpkin carving

Anne Nagel standing atop a large pumpkin.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without Ann Miller!

Happy Halloween!

Perry Mason at Halloween: "The Case of the Dodging Domino"

While Halloween episodes were fairly common on television sitcoms of the Fifties and Sixties, they were rare in comparison on dramas. An exception to this rule was the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Dodging Domino." It aired on November 1, 1962, and Halloween was front and centre in the episode.

"The Case of the Dodging Domino" centres on college professor Damion White (David Hedison), who has taken credit for a melody that he didn't write, "Pearls and Jade." The actual writer of the tune is Phil Schuyler (James Forrest), who not only forged one of his brother-in-law's cheques, but is blackmailing Damion White over the song. Given Phil Schuyler is not a very nice guy, he naturally winds up dead and Damion White is accused of his murder. Perry Mason must then defend Damion White and reveal who the real murderer is.

Unlike a few other Perry Mason episodes, there are no spooky, creepy, or paranormal themes in "The Case of the Dodging Domino," which is a straightforward, if somewhat convoluted mystery. Regardless, it is set during and shortly after Halloween. Indeed, Halloween is essential to the episode's plot.  Rudy Mahlsted (Lloyd Corrigan), Schuyler's apartment manager,  was watching the neighbourhood kids as they went trick-or-treating when he saw who thinks was the murderer leaving Schuyler's apartment. The kids in their Halloween costumes are then a key bit of evidence in clearing Damion White. 

What makes all of this even more interesting for younger Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and older Millennials is that the children's costumes are clearly the sort that Ben Cooper, Collegeville, and Halco manufactured at the time. One of the children even says that Rudy helped one of this children pick out her costume at the corner drugstore, which is where costumes by Ben Cooper, Collegeville, and Halco were often sold. The fact that "The Case of the Dodging Domino" features costumes of the sort made by Ben Cooper and other companies makes it unusual among TV shows of the Sixties. Even though many, if most, children wore store-bought costumes in the Sixties, most TV shows of the era featured children in homemade costumes (well, costumes from the studio costume department, anyway rather than the common Ben Cooper, Collegeville, and Halco costumes.

Perry Mason was known for its guest stars, who were often famous or soon to be famous. "The Case of the Dodging Domino" is no different. The aforementioned David Hedison had already starred in the horror movie The Fly (1958) and would soon star in the TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Character actor Jeff Morrow, who had appeared in such films as This Island Earth (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956), appears as composer Alex Chase. The aforementioned Lloyd Corrigan began his career in the Silent Era and appeared in everything from The Ghost Breakers (1940) to Cyrano de Bergerac (1950). What is now possibly the most famous name to appear in "The Case of the Dodging Domino"is Ellen Burstyn. At the time, Ms. Burstyn had not yet appeared in her first movie, but guest starred frequently on television. In 1962, the same year that she appeared in "The Case of the Dodging Domino," she also appeared on such shows as Ben Casey, Bus Stop, Dobie Gillis, The Real McCoys, and yet others. In the episode, she played actress Mona Winthrope. At the time, she was still being credited as "Ellen McRae," 

"The Case of the Dodging Domino" is not one of the best Perry Mason episodes, but it is also far from being one of the worst as well. It is certainly one of the most interesting in that it one of the few set around the time of a holiday and perhaps the only Perry Mason episode in which a holiday plays a central role. As the only episode centred around Halloween, it certainly stands out. 

Fibber McGee and Molly: "Halloween Party at Gildersleeve's House"

Halloween episodes were very common during the Golden Age of Radio. The Jack Benny Program did at least six Hallloween-themed episodes, with yet others that at least referenced the holiday. Among the shows that featured Halloween episodes was Fibber McGee and Molly. Its final Halloween episode was "Halloween Party at Gildersleeve's House," which aired on October 24, 1939.

Fibber McGee and Molly was one of the most successful sitcoms in any medium. It debuted on the NBC Blue Network on April 16, 1935 and ran as a standalone show until 1956. It ran from 1957 to 1959 as  segment on the NBC radio show Monitor. The show was created by husband and wife comedy team Jim and Marian Jordan. It centred on Fibber McGee (Jim Jordan), a habitual teller of tall tales, and his wife Molly,who was often terse with Fibber, but loved him all the same. Set in the small town of Wistful Vista, Fibber McGee and Molly had a large cast of recurring characters. Among the most popular, if not the most popular, was the McGees' neighbour Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (Harold Peary).  A bit self-important, Gildersleeve enjoyed taunting Fibber and the two often argued. Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve proved to so popular that he was spun off into his own series, The Great Gildersleeve, in 1941. It was quite possibly the first spinoff on radio.

The episode "Halloween at Gildersleeve's House" as Fibber McGee and Molly attending a Halloween party next door at the Gildersleeves. Horatio K. Boomer (Bill Thompson), known to be a bit shady, performs sleight-of-hand. Fibber and Molly talk briefly to the Old-Timer (Bill Thompson), who jokes about President Roosevelt doing his Christmas shopping early (a reference to President Roosevelt moving Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday in November that year to allow for a longer Christmas shopping season). Mrs. Uppington (Isabel Randolph) reads Fibber's palm. The show's announcer, Harlow Wilcox, then tells a ghost story at the party. While everyone else is going to dinner, Fibber sneaks outside to pull a Halloween prank on Gildersleeve. There he runs into the neighbourhood little girl, Sis (Marian Jordan), who has been out pulling pranks herself. She helps Fibber play the prank.

Fibber McGee and Molly had Halloween episodes prior to "Halloween Party at Gildersleeve's House." The first was "Halloween Party," which aired on October 28, 1935, and centred on a Halloween party at the McGee's house. The second was also titled "Halloween Party" and aired on October 25, 1938.  It also centred on a Halloween party held by Fibber McGee and Molly. "Halloween Party at Gildersleeve's House"would be the show's last episode focused entirely on Halloween, although there would be other episodes that referenced the holiday. Regardless, if you love Old Time Radio, "Halloween Party at Gildersleeve's House" is worth a listen. 

Witch's Night Out

There was a time when Halloween specials were unknown on American television, even though Halloween episodes of television shows were common even in the Fifties and Sixties. Even after the success of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Halloween specials would be relatively rare. This began to change in the mid to late Seventies when several Halloween specials debuted. Among this specials was the Canadian special Witch's Night Out.

Witch's Night Out begins with a witch (Gilda Radner) who finds herself feeling lonely on Halloween. Meanwhile, Goodly (John Leach) decides to hold a Halloween party for both children and adults. As it turns out, the abandoned house Goodly selects turns out to be that of the with. Also on that Halloween, two children, Small (Tony Molesworth) and Tender (Naomi Leach) are disappointed that their costumes (a werewolf and a ghost) scared no one and wish to become an actual werewolf and a ghost. Of course, all of this leads to a number of complications.

Witch's Night Out was a sequel to the 1974 Canadian special The Gift of Winter, and was directed, written, and produced by the creator of The Gift of Winter, John Leach. It used the same characters, although they were voiced by different actors. In addition to The Gift of Winter and Witch's Night Out, John Leach had earlier provided animated Spanish inserts for Sesame Street and worked on the Canadian children's show Readalong. 

A few well-known actors provided voices for Witch's Night Out. Gilda Radner had voiced the characters Nicely and Malicious in The Gift of Winter, and was also its narrator. For Witch's Night Out, she was the voice of the witch. Cathrine O' Hara voiced Malicious, while Fiona Reid voiced Nicely. While Dan Akroyd had originated the voice of Goodly in The Gift of Winter, animator John Leach took over the role of Goodly in Witch's Night Out.

Witch's Night Out debuted on both CBC in Canada and NBC in the United States on October 27, 1978. It would air again on NBC in 1979 and 1980. It entered syndication in 1982 and continued to air in syndication for years to come. It was in 1987 that it began airing on the Disney Channel, multiple times each October. It continued to air on the Disney Channel well into the Nineties.

Witch's Night Out would see a revival in the Teens. John Leach and animation director Jimmy Cross of the animation studio Uncle Porkchop Productions remastered Witch's Night Out. It was released on DVD though Mill Creek Entertainment along with other Halloween specials. It aired on This TV and in 2016 was available for streaming on Hulu. It is currently available on several streaming services, including Fawesome, Hoopla, Prime Video, and Tubi.

While Witch's Night Out never became a yearly broadcast network tradition the way that It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and some Christmas specials have, it remains a fondly remembered special from the years it spent in syndication and on the Disney Channel. Given how common it is on streaming services, it seems likely it will be around for many Halloweens to come. 

"Bouncing Babies" (1929): Our Gang at Halloween

The Our Gang theatrical shorts, retitled The Little Rascals for rerelease in theatres and on television, were among the most successful theatrical shorts in cinema history. The series of shorts began in 1922 and lasted until 1944 when the final one, "Dancing Romeo," was released. The shorts centred on a gang of neighbourhood children and was known for portraying children materialistically and realistically. The shorts were also unique for the era in showing black and white children interacting as equals.

As might be expected of a series of shorts centred in children, the Our Gang shorts would touch upon Halloween from time to time. Among these shorts is "Bouncing Babies" (1929), which takes place on Halloween. In "Bouncing Babies" (1929), Wheezer (Bobby Hutchins) resents his family's new baby. Farina (Allen Hoskins) spins a yarn to Wheezer about exchanging an unwanted baby at the hospital for a goat. Of course, Wheezer believes him and then plots how he can get rid of his unwanted baby brother. 

Although set at Halloween, the holiday is not at the centre of "Bouncing Babies" (1929), with the plot primarily focused on Wheezer's resentment of his baby brother. That isn't to say that Halloween doesn't occupy a large part in the short. At one point, Wheezer's mother tells him that it is Halloween and the bogeyman might get him if he doesn't behave. The rest of the gang are out and about in their costumes (Chubby as a devil, Harry as a skeleton, and Jean as a Clown). Chubby has learned to distort his voice so that it sounds deep and out-of-this world, and uses this to scare Wheezer and Farina as a prank. The short was released on October 12, 1929, so that the references to Halloween were timely.

"Bouncing Babies" (1929) would be the last short in which Jean Darling and Harry Spear would appear. Jean Darling left the series for a tour of the RKO vaudeville circuit. As to Harry Spear, having more or less been the leader of the gang during the Silent Era, after the advent of talkies he was phased out and replaced by Jackie Cooper. Some sources include Joe Cobb in the cast, but his last Our Gang short was "Lazy Days" (1929) and he does not appear in "Bouncing Babies" (1929).

"Bouncing Babies" (1929) was the only Our Gang short explicitly set at Halloween, although other shorts, such as "Spook Spoofing" (1928) and "Spooky Hooky" (1935) dealt with spooky themes. For many Our Gang fans this might seem like a missed opportunity, as it would have been fun to see the gang pulling pranks and later trick-or-treating (which wasn't really established until the Thirties). Regardless, as the only Our Gang short set at Halloween, "Bouncing Babies" (1929) is a lot of fun. 

The Late Great Walter Koenig

Walter Koenig, best known for playing Ensign Pavel Chekov on Star Trek, died yesterday, October 25, 2026, at the age of 90. He also played Psi Cop Alfred Bester on Babylon 5.

Walter Koenig was born on September 14, 1936 in Chicago. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union. His father was  a translator for RCA Victor. The family moved to Manhattan in New York City when Walter Koenig was young. He acted in school plays at Fieldston High School in New York. He attended Grinnell College in Iowa, majoring in pre-med, then transferred after a year to UCLA, where he received a BA in psychology. It was a professor who suggested to Walter Koenig that he become an actor. He attended Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City, studying alongside James Caan, Dabney Coleman, and Christopher Lloyd. 

He moved to Los Angeles, where he made his television debut in an uncredited role in an episode of Combat! in 1962. He made his feature film debut in one of the segments of the movie Strange Lovers in 1963. He guest starred on the shows The Untouchables, General Hospital, The Great Adventure, The Lieutenant., The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Ben Casey. Mr. Novak, Gidget, I Spy, and Jericho. He joined the cast of Star Trek in its second season as Ensign Pavel Chekov. Star Trek Gene Roddenberry wanted a character to appeal to young people, and Chekov's appearance was patterned after Davy Jones on The Monkees. In the Sixties, Walter Koenig also guest starred on Mannix, Medical Center, and The Virginian. 

In the Seventies, he guest starred on the shows Ironside, The Starlost, and Columbo. He appeared in the TV movie Goodbye, Raggedy Ann and the unsold pilot The Questor Tapes. He appeared in the movies Nightmare Honeymoon (1974) and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), in which he reprised his role as Chekov. 

In the Eighties, Walter Koenig guest starred on Bring Back 'Em Live. He was a guest voice on the animated series The Real Ghost Busters. He appeared in the movie Antony and Cleopatra. He appeared in the movie Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Moontrap (1988), and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). 

In the Nineties, Walter Koenig appeared as Alfred Bester on Babylon 5. He guest starred on the TV shows Viva Variety, Almost Perfect, and Diagnosis Murder. He appeared in the TV movie The Privateers. He appeared in the movies Star Trek VI:The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek: Generations (1994), Sworn to Justice (1996), and Drawing Down the Moon (1997).

In the Naughts, he guest starred on the shows Futurama, Star Trek: The New Voyages, and Star Trek: Renegades. He appeared in the movies Mad Cowgirl (2006), InAlienable (2007), and Scream of the Binkini (2009). In the Teens, he appeared in the movies Blue Dream (2013), Star Trek: Captain Pike, Neil Stryker and the Tyrant of Time (2017), Nobility (2018), Diminuendo (2018), and Unbelievable!!!!! (2020). In the 2020s, he guest starred on the show Star Trek: Picard and appeared in the movie Raging Midwife (2025).

Walter Koenig also wrote episodes of the shows Star Trek: The Animated Series, Land of the Lost What Really Happened to the Class of '65?, Family, The Powers of Matthew Star, and Renegades. He also wrote the books Chekov's Enterprise (1980), Buck Alice and the Actor-Robot (1988), Warped Factors: A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe (1998), Walter Koenig's Things to Come (2012), and Walter Koenig's Raver (2015). 

He provided the voice of Pavel Chekov in several Star Trek video games. 

I think it is safe to say that Walter Koenig will always be remembered as Pavel Chekov, the youthful, optimistic, and sometimes brash ensign who was overly proud of his Russian heritage. Many will also remember him well as Alfred Bester on Babylon 5, the charismatic yet bigoted telepath who was a far from Chekov as one could get. That Walter Koenig's two best known roles were so different demonstrated his versatility as an actor. He played a police sergeant on an episode of Columbo, a gang member on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,.a member of a drug rehaab cult on Mannix, and a young Russian defector on Mr. Novak. While he will always be best remembered as Chekov. throughout his career Walter Koenig played a wide variety of roles and played them well.

Conrack (1974)

Today many people probably have not heard of the movie Conrack (1974), directed by Martin Ritt. It received mixed to positive reviews upon its release, and it did somewhat poorly at the box office. Regardless, it is significant for its portrayal of life on Daufuskie Island (fictionalized in the film as Yamacraw Island), as well as one of the earlier portrayals of trick-or-treating in a feature film.

Conrack (1974) was based on the book The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy, which was based on his experience as  teacher on Daufauskie Island in the late Sixties. Daufuskie Island  is an island located between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, George, and is part of the state of South Carolina. At the time that Pat Conroy taught school there and even now, it is only assessable by ferry. In the late Sixties, most of the inhabitants were descended from slaves and spoke the Gullah language. Most had little to no contact with the mainland, and many knew very little about the outside world.

Like the book, Pat Conroy (Jon Voight) is assigned to teach grades five through eight on Yamacraw Island. Initially he has difficulty getting through to his students, many of who cannot read or even count. Unable to pronounce his name, the children refer to him as "Conrack." Conrack's teaching methods are unconventional, which brings him into conflict with the principal Mrs. Scott (Madge Sinclair), who was called Mrs. Brown in the book. It also puts him into conflict with the superintendent Mr. Skeffington (Hume Cronyn). The children Conrack teaches no little about the outside world, and have never even heard of Halloween, let alone celebrated it. Conrack then decides to take the children trick-or-treating in Beaufort, South Carolina, which proves to be a source of controversy. 

As a director Martin Ritt was well-established at directing literary adaptations and socially aware dramas. He had already directed such films as Edge of the City (1957), The Long Hot Summer (1958), Hud (1963), and Sounder(1972). It was written by wife and husband team Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch, who had already written the screenplays for Martin Ritt's movies The Long Hot Summer (1958), The Sound and the Fury (1959), Hud (1963), and  Hombre (1967). 

In the mid-Seventies, John Voight was at the top of his career, having appeared in such movies as Midnight Cowboy (1969), Catch-22 (1970), and Deliverance (1972), and had been nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor for Midnight Cowboy (1969). Paul Winfield, who played Mad Billy (one of the adults on the island) had already worked with Martin Ritt before, playing Nathan Lee Morgan in Sounder. In her role as principal Mrs. Scott, Madge Sinclair made her feature film debut, having previously on stage. Of course, Hume Cronyn had a career in stage and screen going back to the 1930s. Conrack's pupils were mostly drawn from students at C.B. Greer Elementary School in Brunswick, Georgia.

Although set on a fictionalized version of Daufuskie Island, Conrack was mostly filmed on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Similarly, Brunswick, Georgia doubled for Beaufort, South Carolina. Although the plot was filmed throughout the year, the film was shot from May 8, 1973, to July 23, 1973. This means the trick-or-treating scenes were shot during the summer.

Conrack (1974) premiered on March 15, 1974 in Los Angeles. It did not do well at the box office. With a budget of $2.37 million, it only made $2 million. Its reviews were also mixed to positive. Cora Sayre in The New York Times as "...relentlessly idealistic in tone and uplifting in intent...," but also criticized it as overly sentimental. John Raisbeck in The Monthly Film Bulletin gave Conrack (1974) a largely positive review, but described it as seemingly like, "... conscious turning aside from the complexities of modern cinema to the simpler alternatives of yesteryear. Indeed, with underprivileged white children instead of black and Greer Garson substituting for Jon Voight, the film might have been made all of thirty years ago." Gene Siskel of The Chicago Tribune truly liked the film and gave it three-and-a-half stars. He described it as "...a nice family picture."

As to the inhabitants of Daufuskie Island, their reactions to Conrack (1974) were mixed. Some of the inhabitants saw the reality of their situation in the movie, while others criticized it for the usual Hollywood embellishment of the truth. Dr. Walter Trammell, the real-life school superintendent under whom Pat Conroy worked, criticized the film as a misleading "Hollywood stereotype." Following the publication of The Water is Wide and the release of Conrack (1974), Dr. Trammell faced increased scrutiny and the school board ultimately fired him.

Criticisms that Conrack (1974) is overly sentimental are to a degree justified. Indeed, in many ways the film plays out like a Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation. It should then come as no surprise that The Water is Wide would be adapted by Hallmark Hall of Fame under its original title in 2006 with Jeff Hephner as Pat Conroy and Alfre Woodward as Mrs. Brown.

Sentimental through Conrack (1974) may be, it is still an enjoyable film. It is largely powered by its cast, who give strong performances that easily overcome any weakness in the script. In some respects, it is hard to disagree with John Raisbeck's review mentioned earlier. In some ways Conrack (1974) seems less than a product of the 1970s than a product of an earlier time. And for those of us who love Halloween, it is a good look at trick-or-treating as it was observed in 1969 (or at least 1969 as seen through the lens of movie shot in 1973).